Multiple Perspectives in Art

An Fáinne Óir.

Acrylics on stretched canvas 24″ x 20″

I’ve always found deep joy in playing traditional Irish music. There’s something quietly profound in its constancy — the way it holds its shape through time, even as each player brings something personal to it. The tradition itself doesn’t demand reinvention; instead, it invites interpretation, subtle shifts, and the occasional bold flourish. Over time, attempts to create entirely new material from within the tradition often evolve into something else — something distinct, yet rooted. And that, I believe, is as it should be.

With this body of work, I’ve sought to do something similar in paint.

Just as musicians return to the same reels and airs, I return to certain forms, gestures, and compositional rhythms. I’m working within a visual tradition — echoing it, responding to it, and occasionally bending it into new shapes. These paintings aren’t nostalgic. They’re contemporary works in conversation with the past — filtering classical influences through a modern lens, with an openness to humour, narrative, and personal symbolism.

Like a well-played tune, the familiar becomes fresh again through intention, nuance, and care.

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